Aeolian
by Tsume Yuki
Summary: Hibari Kyōya has always scared Tsuna witless. So, when the two of them end up kidnapped, really, the only choice is to shed her herbivore skin and become a true carnivore if she wants to survive. Female Tsuna
1. Chapter 1

**Aeolian**

.

 _Hibari_

 _._

When Hibari wakes up, it is not to the sight of his room. The rich wood of his home's ceiling is not the sight he is greeted by.

Instead of the gleaming oak wood that is commonplace to wake up to, he instead sees concrete, dull and grey and stretching out above his head to form a gaudy halo around the sole light bulb that illuminates the room. White paint chips off of the brick walls, flaking and gathering in tiny piles upon the floor, another stretch of worn concrete.

With a groan Hibari clenches his eyes shut, before blinking rapidly. It wasn't a completely herbivore move to hope for a mere second that what he was seeing was a very different thing to what his brain was registering. As if he were still dreaming, and not quite out of the dreamscape he had tumbled into.

Alas, the scenery didn't change, nor the stale smell that penetrated the air around him.

Lips pursed, Hibari rises to his feet, swaying slightly as the muscles within his legs respond far slower than normal. His trusted tonfas are absent, stolen from his person, given that the arm guards he never removes are also missing. Even the knife in his shoe, the one his mother insisted he carry with him, is gone, and Hibari's teeth grind together at the realization.

He's still in his school shirt, and the last thing he remembers is going up to the Disciplinary Committee Office to retrieve his personal affects before heading home for the day. He remembers walking up the first set of stairs, he remembers walking onto the landing.

After that, it gets fuzzy, the mental image of the school he knows so well disappears, blurring around the edges in a way that is not natural of his memory, and Hibari knows he has been drugged.

Otherwise, they would have never managed to get him here without a fight. Hibari would have bitten them to death.

Lifting his fingers to his face, Hibari can see the tiniest bits of skin beneath his fingernails, little freckles of blood dotted around the edges. He'd fought, but unable to go for his tonfas, he'd attempted prising the man's hand away from his mouth.

Chloroform it was then.

Scowling, Hibari finally regains balance in his legs, standing tall and taking a good look around the room he was in. It was a reasonably large room, perhaps fifteen foot in width and twenty in length.

Scowling, Hibari strides across the room, stopping before the only door he can see. It's a heavily armoured thing, that kind that he imagines banks would employ in the protection of precious jewels.

Tapping on the door, Hibari frowns at the evidently thick metal, flexing his curved fingers repeatedly to take away the sting that persisted. It's solid, not the kind of thin wood that he'd have been able to kick down.

Irritating.

Taking a step back away from the door, Hibari scans the room once more, looking for some form of tool that he would be able to use, one that could prise open the door and allow him to find out just what kind of herbivore would dare to put him in this situation.

And then bite them to death, of course.

That's when he sees it, the thing he missed upon his first initial scope of the room.

Pausing, Hibari crouches beside the prone from, reaching for a tonfa to poke the figure with, before scowling upon the reminder he was currently unarmed. Instead, he settles for poking the boy in the side. He's completely still though.

Brushing the brown hair back from the face, Hibari scowls down at the feminine features of the brat, casting his mind back to the latest batch of students that had moved up into his school. It takes a moment, but when the information does come, Hibari's scowl hardens.

Sawada Tsunayoshi, age 13, born October, and worst in his class. Brilliant, the herbivore would be no help whatsoever in escaping from here.

Wherever they are.

Lips pursing, Hibari rounds on the door again, slamming his foot into the metal to no effect. Taking in the sight of the door again, Hibari notes the lack of hinges on their side of the threshold. Smart of their kidnappers, but irritating for him.

The sound of his shoe meeting the door does have the side effect of waking his fellow captive, however slowly such a rising occurs.

The question was, why Sawada?

Hibari himself was a big target in the underground world, simply for the man his uncle was. Well, man wasn't quite the right word, but regardless, any form of leverage over the Storm Arcobaleno was something of note. As the only nephew to Fon the World's Greatest Martial Artists, Hibari was prime property himself. His kidnapping made sense, though why these idiots would risk Hibari's wrath -never mind his uncle's, should Fon ever catch word of this-, the teenager didn't have any idea.

He had even less of an idea over why they would take Sawada.

The boy was useless, had no friends and no prospects. Hell, the only one who would probably end up looking for the boy was his mother, once she realized he was gone, that was. Hibari had seen the ditzy woman once, when she came to pick her son up after a particularly bad day with the herd.

Not that Hibari had allowed the herbivores to get away with striking one of their own. Sawada might have gone home with bruises on his skin, but those boys went to the hospitals with bones broken in their limbs.

Why would they kidnap Sawada of all people?

Evidentially he was not involved in the underground, he'd know how to defend himself otherwise. Then again, the absentee father…

Perhaps, there was something there.

So, Sawada was linked into that world as well? Interesting.

"Hiiiee! Hibari-sempai?! Wha-"

The boy cuts off his infernal screeching, his head swinging back and forth as he too takes in the situation they have both found themselves in.

"Wha-what's happening?" His voice is shaky as he speaks, high with terror, and Hibari's eyes narrow in response.

How so very like a herbivore, to hope that what they knew was in fact, false. That they were in fact, not in any trouble, in any way, shape or form.

"We've been kidnapped, herbivore. Now step back, you're crowding."

On instinct alone, Sawada scuttles back from him, eyes wide with fear, before tears began gathering as the full weight of the situation hits him.

"Kidnapped?" He repeats, lips wobbling, and Hibari knows that he's mere seconds away from having to spend however long with a crying herbivore of dubious volume. He does not have the time, nor the patience for such a show on a regular day, never mind right now.

"If you're not going to be any help, then sit in the corner, and shut up."

Sawada sits in the corner, and shuts up.

.

Hibari spends the next hour or so pacing before the door, fingers itching for a weapon so that when the fools who'd dared to kidnap him open the door, he will be able to rain his righteous justice down upon them.

Across the room, Sawada is sat with his knees pulled up to his chest, quiet sobs muffled by the material of his pants as he manages to cry in what could almost be silence. Were it not for the ever so slight, shuddering breathes he takes.

This was the difference between a herbivore and a carnivore. Whereas Sawada has already given up, resigned himself to his fate, Hibari would keep fighting. He would power through all the opposition, bite them all to death, and then bite Sawada for good measure too.

Because the boy was irritating him right now.

Not enough to warrant a biting, not when he needed as many resources as he could possibly get his hands on. Not having to drag Sawada's dead weight out of here -because that's what he would be, should Hibari give him a well deserved beating- would be a plus in any case. It is for that reason, and that reason alone, that Hibari has yet to rip into the boy for being such a weakling.

First, he had to deal with the uppity herbivore that dared to try and resist the food chain. Then he'd bite the weaker prey.

Glancing once more at the herbivore, Hibari meets the brown irises that gaze back at him, sneering at the red skin that now joins thick eyelashes in framing Sawada's eyes.

It is in that exact second the door opens, and Hibari swings around, hands already balled into fists and ready to fight his way to freedom. Regardless, he has been facing the wrong way, and the split second it takes him to twist around, is enough of an opening for the man to move.

Something metal jabs into the tender skin of his neck, and Hibari bites through the inner flesh of his cheeks as he forces himself not to scream, not to show any weakness before the enemy. Paralysing amounts of electricity courses through his body and Hibari crumples to the floor, snarling and well aware that the second he could move, he would. And the herbivore would know what it truly meant to repent.

"Get off him!"

Hibari snarls under his breath, twisting just in time to see Sawada streak forwards, thrusting his fist towards the vicious herbivore's face. It didn't take long for the boy to be pushed back, but what little Hibari has seen in that moment registers in his brain. Sawada had form to that punch, had form to that kick.

So, not completely useless then; Sawada has trained in hand to hand combat. Evidentially though, the drug that had knocked them out was still running rampant through his body, weakening him. Unsurprising. He highly doubts that Sawada has built up a resistance, an ability to fight under duress.

Not like Hibari has.

Given the boy's small form, it would be taking his body even longer to process the drug, to clear out all of its effects.

Finally able to move his arms, Hibari pushes himself to his feet, but it too late. The man has dropped his package onto the floor, and closed the door behind him, effectively locking them within the windowless room once again.

Gritting his teeth, Hibari approaches the bag, kicking it open with one shaky leg and staring down at the contents. Bread and canisters of water, one each. Clearly they were to be kept alive, but certainly not with any nutrients.

Scowling, Hibari snatches up the bread, tearing into the hard crust for the soft fluff inside. There would be no point in wasting drugs on them right now, not when they were so clearly trapped. Too much effort, for no reward.

Eyeing the little herbivore that'd shown a flash of fang today, Hibari kicks one canister over to his crumpled form, watching as the boy glances up from beneath his thick brown fringe.

"You can fight." It's a statement and slowly, Sawada nods in confirmation, one shaking hand plucking up the canister and flipping the lid.

The herbivore seems to know about preserving supplies too, because he only drinks an ever so slight amount, and eats a third of his bread. Hibari stares at the thin fingers that are curled around the canister, taking note of the delicate wrists and thin arms. Thin, but toned. The herbivore isn't built for power, but for speed.

There is a sharpness to his eyes that had been absent upon awakening, as if he'd just realized it was now fight or suffer. The kind of look an animal, be they herbivore or carnivore, got when cornered. Backed up against the wall, that was when the real fight came out.

Maybe, maybe he could work with this. For now.

It certainly didn't appear as if he had any other choice.

.

Their captors don't return, and it wasn't long until sleep began to weigh heavy on Hibari's eyes.

Sawada had already fallen asleep in the corner, curled up against the walls with his jacket pillowing his head. Hibari takes a moment to lament over his own lack of outerwear, over the lack of his trusted gakuran, which he knows is still sat upon the back of his office chair in the reception room. None will dare to remove it from its place, it will still be waiting for him when he gets back.

Still though, he has no excess clothing to make a pillow with like Sawada, so he instead sits himself against the wall beside the door, in the same way it swings open. It would give him a few seconds to wake up, should they return while he is still sleeping.

They don't though.

Now it is morning -mayhap, there is no way to tell the time in here- and Hibari wakes up once again to a ceiling that is not his own, wakes to a body sharing space that is neither his mother or uncle. He is not home, though he had not expected his situation to change overnight.

Scowling, Hibari gets to his feet, heading for the small bathroom that adorns the main room they are kept in. Clearly their captures do not wish to have them stew in their own waste.

He is quite surprise however, that upon entering the bathroom, he spots Sawada in there.

The other boy, smaller and younger than him, has somehow managed to scramble up the side of the shower's clear glass wall, balanced precariously atop it. Blood drips from between the curved flesh of his palms, fingernails cracked from where he has been working on the metal.

But there are two screws sitting in the rusted shower basin, and he's working the third one three.

Tilting his head back, Hibari considers the extractor fan that Sawada is messing with, eyes narrowed as he considers the size of the younger boy against the size of the opening.

Truly, Hibari would have no hope of fitting through there, five foot six as he is.

But Sawada, Sawada who has yet to even approach five foot nothing, and with his delicate shoulders and thin ribcage, might be able to shuffle through. It was a good plan, but it still had the problem of leaving Hibari behind here.

After all, some rodents would slip through cracks that even the smartest carnivore would not be able to slip through. Nature had to give them the opportunity to survive, otherwise they'd have all died out by now.

Sawada looks down at him with big, doe like eyes, worry evident in the slight wet shimmer that glimmers across his brown irises.

"I'll get the door o-open. I-I won't leave you, Hibari-sempai." The herbivore was still shaky as he spoke, but given the fact the boy was shedding blood to see to their escape, Hibari would forgive him, just this once.

Nodding, the dark haired teen turned to the toilet and took care of his business, even as the lightest clink of metal against porcelain let him know Sawada had removed the third screw. He was slightly impressed by the herbivore's resourcefulness, how he'd managed to put together a shallow skeleton of an escape plan in the short amount of time he had.

But then again, if there was anything herbivores were good at, it was escape plans. Carnivores were meant to fight, to stand their ground and drive off intruders and interlopers. This was not his area of expertise.

As much as it pained him to admit it, it appears that if he wishes to be free of this place soon, then he was relying completely upon Sawada's ability to open that damn door.

The fairy-light tinkering of the final screw hitting the shower basin has Hibari looking up at his fellow captive once again, watching as Sawada carefully pulls the plastic fan back and then frowning down at the clear drop from his height to the basin. Of course, the large plastic would make a much louder noise than the screws, and if there was one thing they didn't want now, it was to make noise.

It had been the height of stupidity to not include cameras within their holding cell, but evidentially, their captors believed themselves intelligent enough to have prevented any breakout attempts.

It works in their favour though, Hibari muses, watching Sawada carefully shuffle into the compact space that had once made up the extractor fan that Hibari now holds in his hands.

At the very least, even if the herbivore should leave him, he has a makeshift weapon to wield against the captors. Not the he will be left, because the herbivore knows Hibari will get free one way or another, and should he be left behind, he'd track the boy down when he freed himself.

Sawada manages to wiggle his hips into the small space, his breathing quick and panicked, and Hibari wonders if the herbivore has problems with enclosed spaces.

"I will wait by the door," Hibari informs him, and the legs that are slowly disappearing into the ceiling freeze for a second. Sawada's feet are in fact, quite small, Hibari muses.

"O-okay."

There's a bit more shuffling, it's ungraceful and so like a herbivore that Hibari cannot help but scowl. Sawada manages though, and he disappears into the hole in the roof, the squirming worm of hope that represents Hibari's chance of a swift freedom.

Oddly enough, placing his trust in this one doesn't feel like when he trusts the herbivores to follow the rules at Namimori Middle -which they almost never manage-.

No, for some reason, he actually expects Sawada to follow through.

So, Hibari stalks to the door, and he stands, and he waits.

.

On one hand, it seems like an eternity has passed since Sawada was swallowed up into the ceiling, tattered trainers and all. And then, it seems like only a handful of minutes have passed, before the metal door gives a groan and slowly opens, presenting the herbivore in all of his triumphant glory.

It is not a pretty sight.

His hair is covered in a thick layer of cobwebs, and dust is smeared over ever visible stretch of skin. The blood that comes from his cracked fingernails has smeared across his face; evidentially he had attempted to free himself of the dirt that clings to him like a second skin, but has only ended up messier for it.

Still though, the child seemed so proud of himself, that he'd managed to help, to actually free Hibari. And quite frankly, he has managed such a feat. He deserves some form of reward.

Certainly when they get back to Namimori -and when Hibari's done dealing with the idiots that allowed a kidnapper to sneak not only into his town, but into his school too- Hibari will see to it that the fluffy bunny has some extra protection dropped upon him. Because now he owes this younger boy a favour, and he will see his debts settled.

"Th-there doesn't seem to be anyone around," Sawada stutters, jogging beside Hibari as he stalks down the hallways, looking left and right.

He can't hear anything, not the thundering footfalls of a man heavily armed, nor the stumbles of the one that fed them. It really does seem like they've been abandoned here. Evidentially, their kidnappers had more of a show to run than to just kidnap them, and only turned up to make sure they were fed and watered.

"I'll bite them to death." Hibari growls, teeth grinding together as he looks around the rooms but finds no trace of his beloved tonfas. Whoever took them will pay dearly, the second he finds out who committed such an offense.

"No! Hibari-sempai, we need to get out of here before they come back! I don't think they'll let me wiggle out of the ceiling a second time!"

That, was an irritatingly good point.

Hands clenching, Hibari draws in a deep breath before releasing it, trying to imagine all of the tension leaving his body, just how Fon had taught him.

It doesn't happen though, and he's still bubbling and burning inside to bite the herbivores to death.

But, and it pains him to admit, Sawada is right. They need to get out of here, to escape before they are put in a more restricting cage, one that Sawada's herbivore body cannot wiggle them out of.

Fist clenching, Hibari takes note of a pair of knuckledusters resting upon the table, evidentially forgotten during a rush to leave. He snatches them up, because a weapon he only has a theoretical understanding of is better than no weapon whatsoever.

"We will escape," Hibari promises quietly, thinking of his mother's face, how she would look should her son not return to her, as her husband had once failed her all those years ago. He wonders if Sawada's mother is missing him yet.

Beside him, looking teary eyed but resolute, Sawada nods.

.

They're somewhere warm.

Hibari steps out into the outside world and proceeds to glare at everything in the general vicinity, the sinking feeling in his stomach informing him that no, they are most certainly no longer in Japan.

Beside him, Sawada gives birth to a low, pathetic whimper, bloodied hands shaking as he curls them in the hem of his dirt-riddled shirt. They both look a mess, and if they're to get away from their captors with any sort of success, then they need to start moving.

Now.

The wind is burning hot as it runs through his hair, and Hibari is intimately aware of how the greasy bangs stick to his forehead, sweat mingling with the black strands. It's not exactly like he had the time to wash his hair while being held captive, nor, he believes, has Sawada.

Clearly the younger male's hair deals far better with these strange conditions, and upon observing his features, Hibari realises that Sawada is most certainly not one hundred percent Japanese. A genetic advantage, now that they were out of Japan's climate.

Scanning the base once again, Hibari notes a car, beaten up and clearly disfavoured by their captors, sits nearby. They have to be a special kind of stupid, to leave them with an escape vehicle. Most likely, it is tagged, or capable of being tracked in some way or form. Which means they will have to find other means of transportation as soon as possible.

Nodding to himself, Hibari strides forwards, palming one of the knuckledusters before equipping it upon his fist. The sleeve of his shirt offers only a minor protection, wrapped around his fingers, as he smashes the window of the car in.

Behind him, Sawada squeaks again, probably wide eyed with terror at the sight of such violent behaviour.

Regardless, they need to get out of here, and seeing as these idiots decided to kidnap them, Hibari has no problem stealing anything he needs from them.

Hell, he even takes great pleasure in it.

Predators take from prey, it's just how the world works. Only, these idiots made the fine mistake of assuming him one of them, one of the herd.

Pulling at the dashboard, Hibari prises the panelling free, ducking low to pick at the wires now exposed to his reaching fingers.

The Disciplinary Committee was made up of thugs and ruffians he had painstakingly corrected. Given their evident past, it should come as no surprise that he has picked up a thing or two, only the useful things. He already knew the weak spots of the human body, how to down an opponent and make sure they stayed down.

The Committee members taught him how to pick locks, how to jumpstart a car, just where all the good would be hidden. Life skills that seemed to be far more useful than whatever drivel they were trying to impart during class.

The engine gives a rumble beneath his touch as the wires spark, and Hibari sits back in the driver's seat, content.

Yes, he had made a good choice to listen to the Committee over the elder herbivores back at Namimori Middle.

Without him, the Committee is probably failing in their duties, no matter how efficient Kusakabe is. He has to return, and as quickly as possible.

"Herbivore, we are leaving."

It is the only warning that Hibari will give Sawada, and the boy seems to realize it, because he swiftly ducks into the passenger seat, strapping on the belt after a moments consideration.

"Ah H-Hibari-sempai, you can drive?"

The innocent question, were it posed to him during one of his rare good moods, might have even teased a smile onto his lips.

As it is, he has no time nor the patience to do so, and releasing the handbrake, Hibari streams off down the road without bothering to respond.

.

An hour later, the two of them are nestled between the thick suitcases of travelling herbivores, having snuck onto a northbound train. Their kidnappers -foolish ones, how they had struck lucky enough to escape Namimori with the two of them, Hibari doesn't have the slightest clue- had been stupid enough to house them only an hour away from a large city.

It was during this time, that Hibari learnt the country who's soil they currently stand upon is Mexico. On another continent altogether. It is going to be far harder to get home than he anticipated.

Tucked neatly upon one of the more comfortable suitcases, Hibari turns an expecting gaze upon Sawada, who has just finished crawling in from the emergency exit that rests at the top of their temporary compartment.

The boy had been terrified to know they were sneaking onto a train, but beyond that, he was even more fearful of being left in a strange country without a familiar face at all.

So, no matter how much Hibari evidentially terrifies him, the herbivore clung as tight to his side as he dared.

Once they had gotten on the train, Hibari had made a nest, and upon the grumbling of his stomach, sent the unexpectedly stealthy Sawada off to go and retrieve substance from the dining compartment. The boy had quivered, shaken and whimpered over the idea of having to do such a thing, but clearly his fear of being abandoned, left to deal with the horrible circumstances without a carnivores protection, had driven him to complete his task.

Not that Hibari would leave him.

As a member of Namimori Middle school, it would be a personal failure if Sawada came to harm on his watch right now, especially seeing as Hibari still had his debt to the boy hanging heavy upon his head. Regardless, Sawada's fear works to his advantage now, so Hibari sees no need to press upon it.

"I got fruit, and some sandwiches, and water," the boy says quietly as he lowers himself onto a suitcase, not close enough to crowd, but not enough to be considered apart from Hibari.

"An-and a canister of tea," the boy murmurs, pulling it out of the backpack they'd stolen from some poor herbivore's suitcase, "yo-you look like you need it, Hibari-sempai."

The thought it nice, but the tea is not. Compared to what his palate is used to, the brew is foul, but Hibari chugs it down religiously anyway. He can feel it working as the usual tea does though, so for that, he gives Sawada his due.

The boy also lets him have first pick of the sandwiches, and the prefect wonders if the other knows of his picky tastes. Unlikely, he's probably just being his usually timid self. At the very least, of all the herbivores to end up with, at least this one has proven useful so far.

"D-Do you think we should change our clothes, Hibari-sempai?"

He's eyeing the suitcases around them, and finishing off the last bite of his sandwich, Hibari concedes to his point. Their captors will be looking for students wearing Japanese school uniforms. If Sawada does something with his hair and looks a little less Japanese, and a little more whatever the other part of his blood is, they might just be able to pass by unnoticed.

Instead of answering verbally, Hibari turns to the nearest suitcase and snaps the lock with one of the knuckledusters.

He hears Sawada's triumphant grunt as he too managed to get into a suitcase, but Hibari is far too busy looking through the options he now has.

Logically, it's best he step as far away from his usual style as possible. No dress shirts and trousers. They are in Mexico, a country known for its warm climate. Short and tee-shirt seems to be the way to go. Not attire he will be comfortable in, but if it is enough for him to pass unnoticed -and oh, how having to do such a thing grates on his pride- then Hibari will make do.

It's as he's pulling on a tight black shirt, stylish and something he would normally never touch, that he finally notices.

Half twisting around to look at Sawada, tugging at the hem of his newly acquired top, Hibari freezes. He is in no way prepared, not at all, for the sight that greets him.

Sawada.

In a dress.

He would think the boy is just being smart, playing off as a girl -their captors, after all, will be looking for two boys- but there's something more to it.

The delicate curve of Sawada's shoulders, the slim waist, the subtle curves upon Sawada's torso.

It's abundantly clear that Sawada is wearing a dress not to be smart, but because he is in fact, actually female.

And the first thing that blares to life in Hibari's mind is that she's been in clear violation of Namimori uniform policy by wearing the male uniform.

There will be retribution as soon as his debt is paid, on that, he swears.

* * *

 **So, the plan is for this to be three chapters long, so two more to go people. Hope you enjoy this short little story.**

 **Otherwise known as; I wrote this because people wanted more 1827**

 **Tsume  
xxx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Aeolian**

.

 _Hibari_

 _._

They leave the train as easily as they boarded, with everyone none the wiser that there were two more people upon the platform than perhaps they should be.

The both of them wear backpacks, filled with their ill gotten goods, though Hibari feels no guilt. They had more need of them than what any of those herbivores do right now. A hat rests upon his head, the wide brim hiding his exotic features from the masses, as does Sawada's obnoxiously large sunhat.

Both of which were a good idea to don, less chance of being recognised by anyone asking after them. The weight of the pack is a steady comfort, filled with enough water to last them the day in this god forsaken place, and with enough food for two days.

Hibari would have preferred a greater amount of water, but Sawada had only been able to steal so much without being noticed, and after all, water is easier to come by that food. Judging by the heavy clouds that sit on the eastern horizon, it's going to rain soon, so if needs must, they can collect the rainwater.

Both of them have a second set of clothes, Hibari's as far from his usual style as possible, and Tsuna's as equally feminine as the dress she wears.

Without consent, his eyes drift over to the female to stare at her again, still trying to piece together the confusion situation in his head.

Sawada has been dressing as male since she joined Namimori Middle. He's never had need to look through her official documents, but all of the teacher reports have indicated her to be male, so this façade has been in effect far longer than it should have been.

Of course, Hibari is under the opinion that Sawada should never have been masquerading as male to begin with, but he doesn't have all of the facts yet. Such knowledge does not stop his fingers twitching for his tonfas, as his irritating skyrockets as he is once again reminded that he does not hold his favoured weapon upon his person at this current moment in time.

"We need money," Sawada murmurs, and her light, gossamer voice is more obvious now.

Irrationally, he's bothered by the fact a herbivore has managed to hide something so big so easily, and now Hibari wishes to dig deeper, to find out what is really going on with Sawada.

She can fight, her father is clearly involved in the underworld, otherwise they'd never have bothered to kidnap her. She is a cowardly herbivore, yet was the key to their escape from that place. She swallowed her fear and had stolen food, water and clothing.

She walks just a little behind him, closer than anyone else would otherwise dare to do so, and Hibari's eyes are once again drawn to her face. A bruise is blooming to life across her cheekbone, in which her innate clumsiness made an appearance and resulted in a suitcase crashing into her face.

But there's something about her -perhaps she has broken down like all the other female herbivores would have- that makes Hibari pay a bit more attention. There's something more to Sawada that he thought. And Hibari really hates not knowing the habits of his herd, of the herbivores that he must police.

"Meet back here in an hour, Herbivore," he orders, already scanning the streets of lowlifes to steal from.

Sawada looks discomforted at the idea of splitting up, but seems to trust in his word to meet again, because she bites her lip and nods.

The last glance he has of her for the next hour is watching the determined set of Sawada's shoulders as she walks away, dress billowing around her calves.

.

They do meet up, and Hibari is pleased that -upon beating many a thug- they have gathered enough money together to legally purchase transportation and then some.

A plane is impossible without identification, which their captors had not been thoughtful enough to provide them with.

A bus however, is not beyond their reach.

Neither of them speak the local language, though it is a complete stroke of luck when another foreigner -a tourist- turns out to speak Italian. It is at this point that Hibari learns Sawada's father is of Italian descent, and that his daughter has learnt the language in honour that portion of her family. Seeing as that means they are capable of buying tickets through the visiting Italian, Hibari slowly allows himself to come down from full alert, and instead shift into some awful hybrid of relaxed paranoia, slinking into the window seat of the bus that will be taking them to a seaside city.

From there, the plan is to sneak aboard a ship destined for the USA. From there, find the Japanese embassy. It was the very bare basics of a plan.

It would be far harder to recapture them in the USA though, and surely by now Hibari's mother has noticed his disappearance. It is unlike Hibari to be away from the home for more than twenty-four hours; she will have contacted his uncle.

With his uncle being who he is -what he is-, the man has connections. All of those friendlies will be on the lookout for Hibari. If Sawada's father holds a position inherited by bloodline law, then assuredly he too will be looking for his offspring.

All they have to do is keep out of their kidnappers hands -which doesn't appear too hard- and keep working to get back home.

Though it will smart if Hibari does not manage his return off of his own back.

"Hibari-sempai?"

Sawada stands nervously in the isle, and with a role of his grey eyes, Hibari strikes. His fingers wrap around Sawada's thin wrist, pulling her down into the chair beside him, even as she lets out a blustering squeak of surprise.

In the same moment, Hibari fixes her hat, ensuring it stays on their head, so that Sawada's unnaturally fluffy hair cannot become a key features when it comes to remembering their appearance. His own still shadows half his face, and he pays no attention to the elderly lady who frowns when they keep the headgear on.

She probably suspects something shady, and how right she is.

Just, on the wrong end of her assumptions.

"You wear the male uniform." It's a leading statement, and Hibari fully expects Sawada to tell him exactly why she does such a thing, otherwise he's going to be beating the answer out of her. Once that damn debt is out of the way of course.

The girl swallow nervously, playing with the zipper of the backpack that now rests upon her thighs, half hugged to her chest.

"Th-the bullying, it was easier to deal with… It hurts less, th-that they don't know me."

Tch. He was aware that Sawada sat at the bottom of the food chain, but to push the herbivore to hide her whole being; he clearly wasn't policing the herd as well as he had thought. That would have to change, as soon as he arrives back that is.

The lack of a mobile phone is vexing, not as much as his missing tonfas, but the irritating still remains.

"You will wear the correct uniform when we return," Hibari bites out, the sunset drawing the exhaustion that rattles his body to full force.

"H-Hibari-sempai?"

He ignores her, suddenly remembering that Sawada cracked her fingernails up badly enough to draw blood while they were escaping.

Pulling open the compartment to his bag, Hibari draws out the first aid supplies, stolen from the train's compulsory medical kit. Antibacterial wiped are first, and Hibari snatches up the girl's hands before she can even think about drawing back.

The second she's in his grasp, she does not resist, though her limbs tremble slightly. From the proximity to him, or from the come-down of adrenaline that has powered the both of them today, Hibari cannot say.

Carefully, in the same way he once treated his mother's treasured kitten, Hibari wipes at the dried blood. Infection will only slow the two of them down, and right now, he'd be obliged to help Sawada. He will not have something avoidable slow them down, just because he is not taking care of the herbivore currently entrusted in his care.

Beneath all the blood and dirt, Sawada's hands are not as bad as they could be, and it does not take him more than a few minutes to carefully wrap the length of her fingers in bandages. Not enough to restrict her movement, but to give adequate protection to the broken skin beneath.

Throughout it all, Sawada is silent, watching his every move with those big brown eyes, face twisted in some form of slacked surprise.

There's a moment of silence once he has released Sawada's hands, and she rested them in her lap, cushioned in the fabric of her stolen dress. The dying sun leaks in through the window, leaving a burning orange glow upon Sawada's skin as she quietly stares forwards.

"You should rest, Hibari-sempai," she says after another moment of silence, nervously chewing on her lip and refusing to look him in the eyes.

Typical herbivore behaviour.

She doesn't give him a chance to dismiss her words though, because she does turn to look at him, cautious as her gaze is.

"Yo-you're the better fighter, and you should be well rested. I can wake you when we arrive, o-or if there's any tr-trouble."

Excellent points.

With little fanfare, Hibari reorders himself until he's sat just right, head resting on Sawada's surprisingly comfortable shoulder, even as the girl gives a wheezing squeak of surprise.

She dare not move though, and Hibari lets himself drift off to the slow rise and fall as she breaths.

.

As promised, Hibari wakes to Sawada's ever so gentle shaking of his arm, quietly whispering his name with that cautious tone. Though drowsiness now sits heavy in her words, her movement more sluggish than they were before his brief nap.

The moon is half-heartedly climbing amongst the stars, and after a brief look at the digital clock at the front of the bus, Hibari concludes that two hours have passed by.

The bus has stumbled to a stop, the engine on a low hum that has the floor shivering beneath Hibari's sandal covered feet.

Sawada is clumsily grappling with her seatbelt, though Hibari doesn't have the slightest clue as to why she's even bothered to wear it. The scrappy little bit of fabric isn't regulation, would snap under the slightest bit of pressure, and to make his point, Hibari rips it when Sawada is too slow unbuckling for his liking.

The driver is sprouting something off in Mexican, but all of the words flow over Hibari like water.

He takes a moment to long for a shower, for clean water to run down his back and ease the tension that has been settling in, building up during their cross country run.

Sawada stumbles down the isle, and Hibari catches her elbow right before she can take a tumble down the stairs. She breathes a quiet thank you around a truly impressive yawn, and Hibari leads her away from the bus and towards to hotel entrance.

It is a cheap thing, certainly not a place he would have even given a thought to staying at in any other circumstance. As it so happens though, it appears their best option, so Hibari keeps Sawada's weak form close as he strides in.

In situations like this, he feels no shame in channelling his mother, in lifting his head high and acting the part of near royalty. Not that his mother is, but she has always had the poise for it. And to those that don't know the truth, most of the time, confidence is all that matters.

He cannot afford to act weak now, not with the currently feeble Sawada relying on him. She makes an easy target, and he knows the underworld well enough to be sure they will attempt to take her should her protector falter.

She is a young woman, foreign in features; a prime catch.

So Hibari grits his teeth against the unease of being without his favoured weapon, and he moves as if these herbivores are too far down the food chain to even be in his presence. Which is true, he's just making it explicitly clear now.

"One room," he says in English, and watches as the woman nods in understanding. Money is exchanged for the key, and while the faults of this place make Hibari cringe -make him long for his perfectly run school, for his clean home and his beautiful mother- he soldiers on.

Sawada has finally relaxed in his grip, one of her hands even tentatively resting on his forearm, though she adamantly refuses to meet his gaze with those doe-like -herbivoreherbivoreherbivore- brown eyes.

.

When he opens the door to the room they will have to occupy for the night, it takes far more restraint than it should to not turn his nose up at the accommodations.

He's not quite able to keep the disgust off of his face, so instead he settles for depositing Sawada on the bed and heading for the bathroom.

The lock is rusted, and shan't stand up to anything more than a gentle knock, but Hibari honestly cannot see Sawada attempting to kick in the door, she's far too timid for such a thing.

Secure in his knowledge that there was now a small patch of temporary territory that was his and his alone, Hibari strips himself of the stolen clothes, twisting at the handles of the shower until water begins to pour against the not so clean surface of the tiles.

The droplets are cold, the hot water of the hotel evidentially used up for the night, but right now, Hibari's past the point of caring about that now. He's more focused upon the soft blasts of water cascading down his back, slowly untangling the knots of stress that have built up as the day passed.

Tipping his head back, Hibari snatches up the complimentary shampoo, cased within a bottle smaller than his pinkie finger, and squirts half of it into the palm of his hand.

The very least he can do is leave some for Sawada, seeing as every female he knows of whines and moans when they can never keep up with their usual hygiene rituals.

It was why the females at school took such good care of their bathrooms, as opposed to the casual disinterest that most males showed their own. Not that Hibari would allow them to become vandalised, It would be a stain upon his pride for his territory to be harmed or defaced in any way. The point is, he shall leave enough of the substance for Sawada to use, even though he longs to wash every last strand of Mexico from his body.

Soaping up the leftover bubbles, Hibari quickly rubs them into the skin of his torso, longing for the usual herbal scents his mother invests in, and not the generic cleanly smell that this cheap brand offers. It is better than the sweat and dirt that lingered as a result of being held in that place though.

.

Stepping out of the shower, Hibari snatches up one of the two towels on offer, patting down his body with the off-white material before vigorously rubbing against his head.

It won't bring his hair to a state of being completely dry, but it will be enough so that droplets of leftover water do not see the need to crawl down the back of his neck. After a moment of indecision, Hibari pulls his underwear, deciding to leave the clean pair he stole for the rest of the adventure, and sleep in the ones he had been wearing today.

He's not exactly comfortable just stepping out into the next room wearing no shirt, but it is not as if he can sleep naked as he usually does, given the company he now shares.

As expected, Sawada looks up at his entrance, and then proceeds to burn red as she shuffles around him to get into the bathroom.

The shower starts up a moment later, and Hibari makes his way over to the desk and more importantly, the pen and paper that Sawada had been working over.

There's a series of scribbles, and Hibari forces himself to focus, to push past Sawada's truly terrible handwriting and get to the information she has scribbled down. It takes a moment, but Hibari realizes it's a collection of phone numbers. She's already crossed off her home phone, along with the school line. There's small mutterings wrote beside them, on how their kidnappers might be watching the line.

The word 'Father' is wrote off to a side, along with six digits that trail off when the girl realizes she doesn't remember the rest of his contact number. The question mark below are all clear indications that she doesn't hold out much hope of her estranged father caring too much about her kidnapping, and Hibari scowls.

Her grandparents, maternal ones, are the next number noted down, along with a hesitant note questioning if their kidnappers would go as far as to tap their phone conversations too. Sawada's being cautious, which is good.

It's not so pleasant to realize they have no one to get into contact with.

His own home phone is set to not accept calls outside of those pre-programmed in, and he has never bothered to remember Kusakabe's, seeing as he has it on speed dial on a phone he no longer has in his possession. His maternal grandparents are dead, and his paternal one's too traditional to actually own a phone.

Irritating.

The only number that could possibly be of use to him is Fon's, and though he detests the idea of having to get in touch with that man for help, it appears as if such a thing will be his only choice.

He can remember the vast majority of the digits, it is only the last three that he trips over, but there are only so many combinations they can be when he knows the numbers, just not the order. Given that he'd never thought he'd have to contact his uncle, Hibari had never put the effort into fully cementing the number into his head, something he now regrets.

Regardless, he scribbles down what is the most likely phone number to try once they reach the relative safety of the USA, tagging the code with the words 'uncle' and 'connections', so that Sawada won't ask stupid questions come morning.

As if summoned by the finalization of their next move, the bathroom door opens, and Sawada tentatively steps out. Hair hidden in a towel wrap, she's anxiously wearing the shirt he had abandoned on the bathroom floor. Simply enough to sleep in, and Hibari is once again reminded of the fact that Sawada is female, and as such, needs to cover the upper portion of her body as well.

"Get some sleep, herbivore," he grumbles, making his way towards the battered couch before a TV of questionable use. Not that either of them have much of a need to watch television right now, never mind the fact neither of them would understand the language.

"A-ah, Hibari-sempai?"

Pausing in where he'd been about to lie down on the couch, the demon prefect of Namimori twists his head around to look at his current companion, watching as she nervously picks at the wet bandages covering her fingertips.

"You can sh-share the bed with me. I'm small so I won't take up much room, and it's better that you're well rested, and I don't think I'll be able to sleep on my own…"

The last few words are whispered, and Sawada looks away, cheeks burning and tears gathering at the corner of her eyes.

Hibari watches her with curiosity for a moment, comparing her behaviour to the females that crowd at school. Those that admire him for his looks do so from afar, none have ever dared to approach him, his dislike of crowding well known. They wouldn't dream of daring to invite him to share their space.

Sawada is focused solely on survival, on making sure they are both well rested to face the challenges of the next day, and he can respect that.

"Fine."

She startles, but by that point, Hibari has already climbed into the left hand side of the bed, the covers tucked neatly around his form, as the chill of night slowly starts to descend upon the world.

There is a moment's pause in which nothing happens, before the bed shifts to accommodate Sawada's light weight climbing in. They lay there still for a moment, Sawada's soft breaths echoing in the room alongside his own. And just when he thinks she will comply and simply sleep, the girl decides to speak.

"Thank you, for not leaving me behind."

"Humph, you are a student of Namimori Middle, and thus, my responsibility."

Warmth suddenly seems to flood through his stomach, and Hibari pauses at the strange sensation, unsure of its origin.

Sawada's exceptionally quiet laugh, more near silent chuckles, are the only noise for a few seconds, other than the sound of her shifting about in the bed sheets.

"We-well I'm glad that of all the people I could be kidnapped with, it was someone who could balance out Dame-Tsuna."

She says nothing else, and Hibari makes no move to break the silence either. Even though he's well aware that he would have not escaped as quickly without Sawada's presence, even though she's been far more useful, even though she hasn't broken apart like the vast majority of the herbivores would have done.

No, Hibari thinks, he doesn't balance out a useless herbivore.

He gives the girl a reason to prove she is not the incompetent her herd has made her out to be.

.

When Hibari wakes up, it is in a far different situation than what he had fallen asleep in.

For a start, he is lying on his left-hand side, half upon his arm and with something tickling at his nose.

Opening his eyes, Hibari realizes that the substance making his face twitch is in fact Sawada's hair, which is now far softer than it looked before. She appears to have shed the towel she'd worn to bed at some point in her sleep, leaving it sprawled half beneath her head, and half across the pillow.

More importantly, he and Sawada appeared to have shuffled ever closer to one another in the night.

She's lying on his half outstretched arm, his other limb wrapped up between hers and cradled to her chest. Even their legs seem to have ended up in a wild tangle of appendages, and the loose blankets do not help his attempt to understand where his legs end and Sawada's begin.

The slight curves of her chest pressing against his taunt forearm are incredibly distracting, perhaps even more so than the sun leaking in through the window and landing on his eyes, if only for the fact it is the first time such a distraction has ever caught his attention.

He's looked at other females before, weighed up their potential of course, but observing and actual contact are two very different beasts.

It takes a moment for Hibari to register the heat upon his cheeks, and when he does, a scowl crosses his face. He is a carnivore, and he will not be effected like this, he will not be ruled by his emotions as the herbivores are.

Looking down at the nearest herbivore in question, Hibari begrudgingly grants the girl her dues.

She has, after all, managed to keep it all together, as emotional a creature as she is. Perhaps Sawada's placement at the bottom of the chain isn't as true to her character as he'd previous thought.

Regardless, his arm is starting to go numb.

"Sawada."

The girl grumbles slightly beneath her breath, and it takes a second for her to register his voice. The moment she does though, the girl's eyes snap open, and she all but throws his arm away, letting out a painfully loud screech of shock.

It'd be amusing, were he not so damn close, were they not being tracked by men of clearly criminal intentions.

His hand slaps over her mouth, and he only just manages to reel back in the vast majority of his strength at the last moment.

"Be quiet," he grumbles, the order broken by the yawn that scrambles to escape his mouth.

Hibari raises his half deadened hand to cover the action, ignoring Sawada wide brown eyes watching his every movement.

Running a hand through his hair, Hibari blinks one, then twice, scowling at the collection of strands that stand up from where his head has been resting against the pillow. He climbs off the bed, snatching up his pack and making a beeline for the bathroom.

At the last second, the manners his mother has valiantly tried beating into him rear their untimely head, and the Disciplinary Committee Head scowls.

"Use the bathroom, herbivore. Be quick."

.

Sawada is thankful quick indeed, and emerges five minutes later, dressed and looking far more like a female than she did the previous day. It's obvious she uses some form of product to style her hair normally, as now that is has only been washed, half of it hangs around her shoulders in an evidentially more feminine cut that the previously wild mess she adopts.

Hibari is just as quick to dress, stuffing yesterday's clothes into the backpack and resolutely ignoring the fact the stolen shirt now smells far more like Sawada than it does him.

"Hibari-sempai, this number-"

"My uncle," Hibari grudgingly admits, taking note of the fact Sawada has managed to get over her stutter. For now.

"He has connections that will be necessary for our return to Namimori." If Sawada's father was intent on keeping the girl out of his line of work by keeping her ignorant, Hibari would play along too.

Just for now.

"I shall call him when we reach the USA."

It was safer over there, there were more eyes in that nosy country, than what there appeared to be here in Mexico. Hibari had never had any intention of ever leaving Japan before, and after this experience, his plans won't be changing anytime soon.

"Okay," Sawada murmurs, adjusting the flowery skirt that she's decided to don today. Another good idea, those idiots are looking for a young tomboy, not a girl happy to play up her gender.

"Come along, herbivore, we have a boat to catch."

.

Sneaking aboard a ship to the USA was significantly harder than the Mexican train, but the two of them had managed. It involved dropping their bags in one set of cargo and all but immersing themselves within a clutch of live chickens, but it had happened.

Setting foot on USA soil and knowing that they were far, far away from Mexico, made things significantly easier.

The trip had taken near twenty two hours, and in that time Hibari had found himself lazily listening to Sawada, whenever she bothered to open her mouth and talk. Her conversations were hesitant, as if she knew it was a fifty-fifty chance of him bothering to listen.

But she knew the right things to talk about. She spoke of how her father had pushed her into learning self defence on one of his very few visits home, how she'd kept it up because in a fight, that was the only time she didn't seem to trip over her own two feet. How she'd learnt cooking from her mother, and been forced to pick up the lock-picking skill whenever her classmates had decided to lock her in cleaning supply closets, otherwise she'd have spent hours in there.

She'd even cautiously mentioned that she was glad he'd established the Disciplinary Committee, as he and the members constant patrolling meant that there was less opportunities for the bullies to take up their usual grudges with her.

Hibari doesn't have the slightest clue as to why they would bother Sawada, as far as he is concerned, she is one of the more likeable herbivores. Like a fluffy little rabbit among pigs and cows; she has a bit of charm about her.

He does know one thing though, Sawada is now under his complete protection, and that is not something that will change when he returns home.

He's not going to tell her this though, because Sawada is an unusually righteous character, and will probably try to stop him from going through with this course of action. Because she can defend herself, but she does not do so. It's wrong, she says, to beat up those who don't know how to defend themselves.

Never mind that the herbivores are doing exactly that when they circle her like vultures.

Shouldering the bag that smells far more pleasant than he does at this moment in time, Hibari strides forwards, completely intent on finding a phone he can use to contact Fon.

Beside him, Sawada scampers alongside him to keep up, having finally plucked the last of the chicken feathers from her hair. He's not particularly worried about any disease from the birds; they are heading for a slaughterhouse, future food for the masses.

Sawada clearly didn't appreciate it at all, judging by the whimpers that escaped her lips whenever one of the birds got a little too close. Ten minutes into their journey, and she'd caved, sitting so close beside him that he could feel the heat of her arm against his own. The birds had stayed away from him, registering predator to their prey status.

An hour into their journey, when the chill of being out on the open ocean had set in, Sawada had pulled out a blanket, clearly stolen from the hotel. And though she'd looked quite upset over that fact, she'd still thought far enough ahead to know they would be in need of that.

She had good survival instincts, Hibari would grant her that.

Fingers run through his hair, and Hibari pauses, turning to look at Sawada and she pulls a feather free of his locks.

"Sorry, it was bugging me," she whispers, chewing nervously and biting on her lip. There are few people around, given that it is still early morning here in the USA, but the few that are look at them charily.

"We need to get to a bigger city," Sawada murmurs, looking around again with shrewd brown eyes, taking careful note of them less than reputable side streets, "somewhere that hasn't had recent interactions with Mexico."

Of course, one more layer of safety won't hurt them.

Nodding, Hibari takes a glance around the town, well aware that what little remained of their ill-gotten currency was useless here. It appeared they would be stealing a car, once again.

"Come along, Sawada."

.

Once again, the Disciplinary Committee comes through for him. Palming the wheel arc of each car they walk past, the twenty-fourth one wields some results, having the car keys tucked neatly under the metal framework. Typical getaway cars, usually used by criminals; it was nice to know the minds of Americans and Japanese thugs thought alike.

Sawada says nothing as she slides into the passenger seat once again, hair fluttering about brushing against the skin of her shoulders.

Now that he has seen her, seen Sawada looking so feminine, it's becoming more and more difficult to put her back into that little box she occupied earlier.

Dame-Tsuna is nothing more than a mask though, and Hibari will not allow her to hide behind it any longer, not when she's already proven that she is useful and resourceful.

Kusakabe was the last person he'd come across with any kind of potential, and now the male was capable of holding the Disciplinary Committee together in his absence. Putting Sawada in there, they two of them might even be able to run it correctly without him watching their every move.

But that is another thing to address when they get back, he will put it off for now, and leave Sawada in the agreeable mood she currently exhibits.

Taking another look at the petrol gauge, Hibari runs the calculations through his head, and comes to the conclusion they have about five hours to drive before running completely out of gas.

"Sawada, look at the map, find the biggest town in a five hour radius."

The girl jumps slightly at the sound of his voice, but she begins rooting through the dropdown compartment immediately.

Checking the mirrors one last time to make sure there were no followers, Hibari relaxes slightly into his seat, and just enjoys the wide open space blurring around them.

A significant step up from compared to the cargo ship.

.

"Please be polite, Hibari-sempai."

Sawada's voice is quiet as she whispers, so much so that he can hear his own teeth steadily grinding together.

They had been driving for as long as they possibly could, and now, they had arrived in a town of reasonable size, homely with little sign of gang activity.

And Hibari knows what he's looking for on that front, so he's relatively sure that they are safe.

Still, this place is foul, in every sense of the word. He can practically smell the grease that lingers in the air, a heavy and choking scent that drowns all others.

Sawada has already hinted that she would quite like to eat, and seeing as she was the one to pickpocket the money they now have, there's no way Hibari can possibly say no to her, not right now.

So, it is with an impressive level of annoyance that he orders for the two of them, being the most proficient at English as he is. Sawada isn't terrible with the language, but Hibari has been studying to for longer, and as such, has a much better grasp on how to use the language with regards to speaking with natives. The woman at the counter seems quite bemused, and he's reasonably certain he hears the word 'date' in there somewhere, and that just sets the scowl firmly on his face.

Sawada peeking shyly up at him from beneath her thick eyelashes is not helping in any way at all.

They eat quietly, Hibari choking down the substance this infernal place dared to pass off as food, while Sawada seems quite pleased with the vast array of sauces spread out before her. Hibari cannot wait to get home, to eat real food again, none of this processed trash that passes for nutrient here.

It is no wonder the USA are suffering from a rising increase in obese children, teens and adults. Not when this food is so easily accessible and cheap. Why they would put their bodies through this torture though, Hibari doesn't have the slightest idea.

"Do you think they'll let us use their phone if we ask?" Sawada questions, plucking up another French-fry and nibbling upon the slightly crisp edge. Hibari, who had only dared to try stomaching a burger, had already finished his meal, and found himself lounging around, waiting for Sawada to finish.

"I mean, we both look foreign, and as long as you ask ni-nicely like before…"

She trails off, worrying her lip between her teeth, and Hibari follows the motion for a moment. There are granules of salt sticking to her lip, and it holds his attention for perhaps longer than it should.

Rattled by the sudden focus he has on Sawada, Hibari gets to his feet, stalking off towards the countertop that he had previously spoken over to purchase their… meals. If they could be given such a title.

It takes another moment for the woman to notice him, but she does turn blue eyes on him, and Hibari takes a moment to appreciate the colour before he speaks.

"…Excuse me, my friend and I have been separated from our guardian. May I use your phone to contact him?"

She blinks, flash lashes fluttering before a patience, almost gentle smile crosses her face.

"Of course, if you'll follow me to the back office."

Nodding, Hibari turns to Sawada, whom has at last finished her meal, and gestures for her to get up and follow after him.

She does so, but not before taking the time to place their rubbish in the trash and hand their tray to the bemused worker, offering a nervous little bow as she does so.

What a herbivore.

Hibari is momentarily horrified by that thought, and how it almost sounds, fond, within the safety of his own mind.

No, they are so close to getting out of this, he'll worry about Sawada and whatever mischief her little herbivore brain was up to later.

.

The first two codes he puts in are a bust.

The first does not even ring, simply making that infernal dialling noise, and the second one, a woman of questionable background answers.

Sawada's face is slowly crumpling, nerves showcased in her every expression, and it sets something rumbling inside of Hibari's chest.

He sits in the plush leather chair of the staff room, the woman having apparently decided they looked like trustworthy folk -if she had any idea just how much they'd stolen, how many laws they'd broken, in the past three days, she'd probably be regretting it- and had left them alone.

The phone rings thrice in his ear, and then, a so damningly familiar voice answers it. Hibari cannot help the pinch of relief that settle in behind his ribs, even as Sawada reads something on his face that has her sagging in thanks for the universe's mercy.

Fon answers in Mandarin, the traditional greeting, but Hibari opens in Japanese, mainly for Sawada's benefit. The girl had said she could only speak Italian fluently, though her English was complete rubbish.

It'd be a comfort to the girl to hear their native language, Hibari thinks.

"Carnivore," Hibari scoffs down the phone, and things go tense on Fon's end, even as Sawada perks up at the term of address, even going so far as to mouth the word under her breath with a puzzled look on her face. It's almost, dare he say it, cute. Now he knows he's spent far too long in the herbivore's company.

"Where are you, Kyōya?"

"America. Originally held in Mexico, alongside Sawada Tsunayoshi."

He looks to the girl to see if she corrects him about the typically male name, but the girl's cheeks just pinken instead. Huh, how unfortunate.

The knowing silence on Fon's end lets him know that in the mafia world, there had probably been a rather large search for the girl sitting across from him. He'd guessed her father was high up on the scale, but it appeared he had underestimated if anything, given that his recluse of an uncle was feeling the waves.

"Sawada you say?"

Fon murmurs calmly, though by the slight wisps of wind that echoed down the phone, Hibari guesses his uncle is currently in motion.

"Stay where you are, Kyōya, or at the very least, in the general vicinity."

And though it grates of him to have to do as ordered, Hibari conforms.

"Understood."

.

Of course, things never go that easily.

They step out into the town and are slowly walking around, trying to find somewhere to kill the time before Fon arrives. Sawada has relaxed, significantly so, even going so far as to walk closely beside him. When faced with a greater fear than what her misconceived perceptions of him had created, Sawada had come to associate protection and comfort with his presence, oddly enough.

Not only that, but she appears to have come more into her own, grown into something more than the rumoured 'Dame-Tsuna' that has been so commonly talked about within Namimori Middle.

No, out of the whole herd he polices, Sawada would have been one of the ones he chose last as his preferred kidnap victim.

Yet, she had been far more helpful than what he'd have ever predicted from the rest of the crowd. Sawada's hand grips at his elbow for a second, and Hibari skids to a halt at her sheer audacity to touch him without warning.

The gunshot rings through the air half a second before the glass just behind the shatters.

Hibari's heart leaps, and the sudden strike of knowledge that the bullet missed because Sawada suddenly stopped and sensed something was off, does not escape him.

In the same second, he twists, grabbing the female and shoving the both of them behind a car, just as more bullets pepper the ground where they stood.

There's cries of surprise and terror from all those currently on the street, and Hibari grimaces, because his tonfas are absent and with only knuckledusters, he is woefully underarms against this kind of strike.

Before he can so much as reorient himself, the cool barrel of a gun pressed against the back of his neck, and Hibari freezes.

Sawada gives a muffle whimper, and taking a moment to glance at her from beneath the safety of his shrouded eyes, Hibari notes she is staring at him in horror.

Sawada can still move, doesn't have a gun -that they can see- tracked on her.

So why isn't she running?

"Time to go back to your cage, brat. With the Vongola's warpath, we need you alive."

The assailant's eyes twist around to look at him, and Hibari's teeth grind as he calculates the chances of knocking the man out before he can fire his gun.

The numbers are depressingly low.

"This one though, he's not necessary, seeing as the Storm Arcobaleno hasn't come running."

So they were going to use him against Fon.

It is always nice to know when his guesses were correct. The fact he is going to die as he is less useful than Sawada -evidentially her father was way up there on the food chain- is less of a comfort.

Sawada seems to realise it at the same second too, because something in her just... snaps.

.

It's an explosion of power, burning orange flames, and at the centre of it all, Sawada stands with a striking calmness upon her features.

The flames blast their nearest assailant away, and Hibari, ever to opportunist, throws one of the knuckledusters at another, knocking him unconscious.

Then, Sawada is moving, far faster than should be possible, and as Hibari takes down one of their would be captors, she has finished off four more. All the while still with that startlingly calm nothingness on her face.

And truly, there is little more he can do other than breathe a surprised, "Wao."

For who knew that Sawada was hiding something as ferocious, and powerful and carnivorous as this beneath her unassuming masks?

When all the enemies are down for the count, Sawada sways, and the brilliant orange flame -it felt like home, why does the flame call to him?- fades.

Then, she drops like a rock.

The only one now standing on the street, Hibari approaches his travelling companion, swift and cautious.

Where that had come from...

He recalls Fon, back when he was much younger than what he is now, performing some kind of kata that drew up something that flared red. Hibari had only been three at the time, and his uncle had been adamant that he'd imagined it.

But he's heard his mother refer to Fon as the 'Storm Arcobaleno', whatever that means, and he knows he is involved in the criminal underworld.

And now, Sawada, also with criminal connections can exhibit the same strange energy?

.

Yes, she has suddenly got a lot more interesting.

* * *

 **So, here's chapter 2, the longest of the three chapters. A good bit of development for Tsuna, and of course, proof that Hibari is in fact, a teenage boy. I figured that Hibari would refer to Fon as a carnivore, because in the manga, during the Rainbow battles, he jabs and Fon and indicates 'that's my prey', thus sort of a round about way of acknowledging him?**

 **I'm glad that of all the feedback I've gotten so far, things are positive; I hope the lot of you like this chapter too.**

 **Tsume  
xxx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Aeolian**

.

 _Hibari_

 _._

When Sawada wakes up, Hibari has them three towns over, seated within another stolen vehicle.

Regardless of what Fon said, they could hardly remain in that town any longer, to do so would be the height of stupidity. His uncle was a smart man, he would be able to find them.

And while a small part of Hibari's mind wishes that the man would fail so they could get back on their own, Hibari is well aware that their chances of getting back on their own are minuscule.

The steering wheel is still warm to the touch, his hands having been sliding back and forth across its surface for the past few hours. It won't be long until they have to stop, given that the truck is swiftly running out of gas, but Hibari will keep pushing it until there is no other choice.

After that, they'd have the get on a bus or train or something, just so the enemy couldn't track them down by the car registration plate again. At least, that's how Hibari assumed they'd been found.

"Ah, H-Hibari-kun?"

The road is just a straight out drive now, so Hibari turns his attention to the girl whom until moments ago, had been fast asleep in the passenger seat.

Large, drowsy brown eyes blink up at him in confusion, before Sawada snaps into a state of alertness, head swinging around as she tries to take everything in at once.

"Good morning," Hibari drawls sarcastically, lips twisting up in a mockery of a smile when Sawada swings round to outright stare at him in surprise.

He returns his gaze to the road, but the weight of Sawada's stare remains on his form, a lingering cloud that refuses to disperse. Perhaps the most noticeable thing about that, is it does not bother him, doesn't have his instincts crawling up the walls and twitching.  
No, Sawada's eyes on him feels completely natural, and Hibari realises he's come to trust the girl. Well, she can clearly handle herself, looking back on the mayhem that occurred some hours ago.

"What were those flames, Sawada."

"Y-you can call me Tsuna, Hibari-kun."

The new way she addresses him is strange, Hibari muses, but appropriate. After all, they have just fought for their lives and freedom alongside one another. Regardless-

"Omnivore, the flames."

She repeats the term of address beneath her breath, even as she puzzles over his question. Well, it is rather appropriate. Sawada has the potential to be a carnivore, yet conforms to the standard behaviour of a herbivore. It is only correct to address her by that title.

"I don't know, Hibari-kun... I think I used them before, once when I was a kid. But I always thought that was a dream... Until today."

Hibari makes a noise in the back of his throat, uncapping the top of the water bottle and pouring more of the cool liquid down his throat. While the southern half of the USA is cooler than Mexico, it's not cool enough, the prefect decides. The air conditioning in the truck doesn't work, so Hibari had forcibly rolled down the stiff windows, the air neither cool nor warm as it howls through the openings.

"So you know nothing of them."

Not a complete surprise, given Sawada didn't have a clue what her father did for a living, but still, disappointing.

"No," she murmurs quietly, chewing on her lip, and the action draws his attention for a second too long, "but if it protected me like that, I should probably learn how to use them."

That was an ideal Hibari could agree with.

They catch a bus ride that almost doubles back on their previous path, just taking them east of their previous location.

It seems like a smart idea, Hibari muses, as they sit side by side on the bus. Sawada is much more awake now, bright eyes taking in the landscape as if she'll never get to see such things again. Though he doesn't miss the way her gaze keeps flickering over to look at him.

Why, he's not sure.

They are now on amiable terms, she shouldn't feel the need to constantly look over her shoulder, to keep him within her sights, as prey does predator.

But, her searching glances are not like that at all.

No, Sawada looks like she has a question. Not one she is brave enough to ask though, it is one that sits and simmers in the hollow of her chest, burning warm enough that those nearby can tell something isn't quite right.

As the bus rattles to a stop, Hibari nudges Sawada with the tip of his elbow, jolting the girl from her sightseeing.

The sun has long since dipped beneath the horizon, plunging them into the darkness of night, lit only by the weak moon, given how the streetlights have drowned out the stars.

Hibari misses his home, the lack of light pollution meant he could lay atop the roof and stare up into the endless sea of twinkling lights, letting their lazy flickers taunt him into a welcoming sleep.

The two of them stumble up the stairs after purchasing another room, adrenaline having long since fled from their systems. It is a significant step up from the hovel back in Mexico, but once again, it houses only one bed.

Dropping their bags by the door, Hibari goes checking through the complementary biscuits, which should be enough to tide them over until Fon arrives.

Sawada's already making use of the bathroom, leaving Hibari free to lay out on the bed and just relax for a few seconds.

It is as safe a place as they will be able to find for them to rest the night, and Hibari goes about kicking off his shoes.

.  
The sensation of safety persists for half of the night, before a rough knock on the door startles the two of them from their sleep.

For a moment, the two of them just lay there, not quite in the same situation they had during Mexico, but certainly lying closer to one another than they had been before going to sleep.

Sawada sits up, the collar of his shirt sliding down one shoulder, brown hair falling in front of her eyes as she tries to figure out just what that noise means.

Hibari is already up, making his way to the window and snatching up their bags as he goes. Peeking through the glass, he scowls at the sight of several black cars parked outside.

"Sawada-chan, open up!"

Hibari has just a second to realize that their latest assailants are speaking in Japanese before Sawada's moving, throwing open the window and shimmying out onto the fire escape. Hibari follows her with no hesitation, keeping his eyes on the gathering of people below.

They seem calm, far calmer than the last lot who tried their luck.

Neither he nor Sawada are particularly well rested though, nor are they really dressed to fight. Hibari's just thankful he'd decided to sleep in the more comfortable pair of shorts, given his apparent tendency to get a little too close to Sawada when they were both unconscious.

It is bitterly cold outside given that it is the early hours of the morning, and already goosebumps were growing across the skin of his chest.

"Ah! Get down from there!"

Hibari reacts, throwing down the sole knuckleduster he still has, enjoying the satisfying thunk it makes upon meeting the nuisance's head.

Regardless, he has successfully drawn all their attention to them, even as Hibari attempts to hurry Sawada up the stairs. Because now he has no weapons but his hands, and the Omnivore has yet to start glowing with her powerful orange flames.

No matter how her scrunched up face indicates she is very much trying to achieve the same form.

Another suit steps out on the fire escape from their room window and Sawada swears under her breath.

Teeth gritting together, Hibari rushes the two of them up the stairs again, the cool metal stinging against the unprotected soles of his feet.

And just when it all seems lost, a small figure in red lands upon Hibari's shoulder with a serene smile.

"Hello, Kyōya."

As it turns out, the suits are in fact, not their enemy. More like the underlings of Sawada's father, Fon calmly explains to the two of them.

Now, sat in the plush interior of one of the many black cars, Hibari finally allows himself to relax.

It doesn't matter that he's in the most detestable pair of summer shorts, or that Sawada is currently wearing his stolen shirt too -and not much else- because Fon is here.

And though Hibari detests having to rely on the other carnivore, the thought of seeing his mother again is more than enough to sooth his irritating.

Sawada, meanwhile, seems to be in a daze, attempting to acknowledge what her father really does for a living, as opposed to whatever drivel he has told her in the past.

Sat beside him, her leg is so close that their calves brush together, Sawada's feet as bare as his own.

"The Riccorian Family were behind the kidnappings; the Vongola have all but wiped them out in recompense," one of the nameless goons assures, and Hibari's irritated to find his distasteful frown is mirrored on Fon's face.

Sawada just looks quite sick over the whole thing.

"We have a flight back home all ready to go... We were unaware of your connections to Hibari-san, Fon-sama."

Fon dips his head, while Hibari just grunts at the leading question. Of course Fon would keep quiet about any kind of family he had, not doing so was asking for someone to use them against him.

Pressure against Hibari's side has him pausing, and from the corner of his eye, Hibari confirms that Sawada is actually daring to lean into him. She's looking away, face in a dazed sort of sadness, cheeks pinked.

Painfully slowly, Hibari shifts his arm until it is half wrapped around Sawada's back, allowing her to fully lean into his side and rest her tired head upon his shoulder.

They had only managed to get four hours sleep before the suits arrived, and given the mass exposure of energy Sawada gave off earlier, it's understandable that she's tired. Herbivores didn't sleep much, and a carnivore such as himself slept a significant amount more.

As a omnivore, Hibari fully expects Sawada to fall between those two extremes.

The fact she trusts him to protect her whole her guard is down goes without saying.

"I will call your mother and inform her you are okay," Fon murmurs, but Hibari's not paying much attention at all.

Instead, he's well aware that his own eyelids are dropping, and he trusts Fon enough to watch over the two of them. Carnivore he might be, but the two of them are tied together by shared blood.

Hibari plants his chin within the fluffy mass of Sawada's hair, and let's his eyes close.

.

 _Iemitsu_

 _._

Iemitsu wonders if this is what a heart attack feels like.

It had been four days since his precious little princess had been stolen away after school, and Iemitsu had kicked the CEDEF into high gear, making it the number one priority to find her.

Screw keeping his baby girl a secret, finding her took precedence over keeping her very existence unknown to all but Nono.

Four days, and having torn through two different mafia families, it was a CCTV camera that caught them in the end.

It was damn good luck one of the rookies had thought to hack into the feeds and get a facial recognition scanner running. Otherwise they'd not only have missed Tsuna, but the mass amounts of Sky Flames she'd given off would have been left on the tape, waiting for some brown-nose policeman to pick up on.

Unacceptable.

Iemitsu still flushes with the sheer amount of Flames his little princess had given out, because ha!

That was his baby girl right there! She was going to be the best Boss for the Vongola, he couldn't wait to introduce her to Reborn. He'd taken note of the fact another boy had been kidnapped alongside her, but Iemitsu was far too focused on his little girl to pay the kid too much attention.

The car had just pulled up, and Iemitsu bounced forwards.

He'd all but ripped open the door to the car his precious baby girl was in -his little Tuna-fish, his little princess!- and had been fully expecting to be met with an armful of excited daughter.

What he hadn't been expecting was to come face to face with Fon, the Storm Arcobaleno, and a teenager with Fon's face and angry steel eyes.

He'd probably have paid more attention to the evidentially violent boy, were his eyes not dragged to the most worrying thing.

Because his beautiful baby daughter is nestled into that boy's side, that shirtless boy's side, and she's still there.

And as if that wasn't enough of a barb to the heart, the teen pulls Tsuna closer and all but snarls at him.

Were the situation not so unknown, Iemitsu would weep.

Awoken by the throaty noise from the boy, Tsuna blinks slowly, pulling back and away from the teen -good girl!- and frowns.

"Hibari-kun?"

 _Hibari-kun?!_

"Tch, your herbivore is here."

It takes Tsuna a moment, but her gaze swings around to look at him, and Iemitsu braces himself for the usual tackle-hug from his little princess.

But instead, her face crumples angrily and she growls at him.

"You've been lying to me and Kaa-chan for years!"

 _Oh._

.

 _Hibari_

 _._

The plane they end up on is finally something that meets Hibari's lofty standards.

Fon had rung his mother while he had been sleeping, and the woman knew he was on his way home, having successfully navigated through enemy territory and kept his wits about him, ensuring both his own well being, but also the health of his companion.

Hibari pauses, looking to the once again sleeping Sawada that sits in the plush leather seat beside his own. Across from them, Sawada's herbivore father gives off an alternating aura of doom and gloom, or blinding fury. Usually whenever he looks between Hibari and Sawada.

There's an armrest between them now, and one of the elder Sawada's lackeys had gone off and fetched the two of them some adequate clothes.

The suit, every last piece of it, is all of quality make, even if it's not quite as fitted as what Hibari would have preferred. Sawada's wearing a matching set, skirt instead of trousers, though Hibari's relatively sure that it's only because the elder Sawada couldn't stand to see the girl in Hibari's -stolen- shirt.

Hibari doesn't particularly care, as long as the omnivore remains within his line of sight for a while.

Flipping open the laptop one of the herbivores had given him, Hibari boots up the system, fingers drumming impatiently upon the surface of the technology.

The familiar weight of tonfas are back on his forearms, though they aren't his original pair. He doesn't even know where they've ended up. He has Fon to thank for arming him again; the martial artists had thought ahead enough to know that Hibari would be wholly uncomfortable without his favoured weapon.

If the Sawada herbivore had given him a considering look when he'd gone about attaching the new bracers to his arms, well, Hibari didn't care. He was rather looking forwards to sparring with Sawada when they got back, when she figured out how to coax those beautiful flames back out.

A rather savage smirk crossed Hibari's face for a moment, before he returned his focus to the laptop in front of him.

Fingers whizzing across the keys, Hibari ran through several programs before finding the correct one to suit his purposes, tapping away until the screen dissolved into a flat black.

It took a few seconds, but not a moment later, Kusakabe appeared on screen, looking rumpled and quite startled at the sight that greeted him.

"Hibari-sama! Are you okay? I found your tonfas lying abandoned in the school."

Ah, well that answered the question about his favourite weapons. Still, this was not the time for chit-chat.

"I am fine, the situation is resolved. How are the herbivores."

It's not a question, it's a signal for Kusakabe to start his report on everything that Hibari has missed. His second in command understands this too, for he gives a brave nod and then snaps out a roll of paper. A long piece of paper.

"In total there have been seventy three offenders whom have taken advantage of your absence, Hibari-sama. Top offenders include Mochida, who has monopolized the gym for kendo club, disregarding the approved schedule, Yamamoto has broke a window with an impressive home-run and Sasagawa has turned his attentions upon others in your absence."

Hibari feels the rage build inside of him at the report, even as a part of his questions why the herbivores cannot respect, just for once, the order he tries beating into them.

"We've also got reports that a Sawada Tsunayoshi is missi-"

"She's with me."

Hibari reaches for the laptop, tipping it to a side so Kusakabe can get a good look at the sleeping omnivore.

His second in command is silent for a moment, jotting down this information, and Hibari already knows the other male will line up the worst offenders for him upon his return. He's eager just thinking about it.

"Sawada, is with you?"

Kusakabe states in a slow tone, as if trying to fit his world view into the latest mould he's just been presented with.

"Yes."

Humming, Kusakabe scribbles something else down, while Hibari covers his mouth as another yawn tears through it. These cat naps are doing him no good; perhaps Sawada's onto something, hunkered down in that seat with a blanket wrapped around her. Yes, sleep sounds quite good.

"The cover story?" Ah, reliable Kusakabe.

"Training."

"And Sawada?"

"She was with me… She's interesting."

The Sawada herbivore twitches at this, even though he's busy at work on his own laptop. Kusakabe himself stops writing, raising a brow at that blatant declaration, chewing on the straw that sits in his mouth.

"Should I open a position for her on the DC?"

Hibari considers it for a moment, before shaking his head.

No, having the omnivore complete work on the Disciplinary Committee would cut seriously into her time to train those fascinating flames, and to ignore those was unacceptable.

"Work sparring with Sawada into the schedule."

The schedule being when each club was allocated a time slot for gym usage. Still, no one would argue with Hibari if he wished to use the gym for his own personal reasons. Well, they could try to argue, but they wouldn't get anyway. The last person who did is still in a cast.

"Consider it done, Hibari-sama. What should I tell the school?"

"My return is imminent."

He hangs up, kicking at the armrest between himself and Sawada until it relents and sinks into the floor. Evidentially these Mafia planes were used to some more risqué activities, but Hibari paid no further attention to that thought.

Instead, he pulls Sawada closer to him -Sawada who he has been protecting these past few days, not her useless herbivore father- and buries his nose in her hair. It still smells of the hotel's mass produced shampoo, but her scent lingers beneath that, familiar and warm.

He can sense the elder Sawada swell with irritating, and Fon jumps across to distract him. No doubt something about some form of Stockholm Syndrome, his uncle explains. Though Hibari can tell from the sly smile on the man's face he knows that isn't the case at all.

That Hibari has in fact, claimed Sawada as his to protect.

As long as the other carnivore understands that, then Hibari's quite happy to remain here, he thinks as Sawada curls deeper into him.

.

Hibari has barely stepped out of security at the airport when his mother descends upon him.

He has the briefest moment to wonder if this is what it feels like to the herbivores he bites, before he's engulfed within his mother's strong grip. As an afterthought, she grabs Fon from his shoulder and squashes him into the hug too.

Hibari feels just a little bit vindictive over the action.

"Mother, you're crowding," Hibari grumbles, but still wraps the one arm his mother hasn't trapped around her thin shoulders.

She's a tiny thing his mother, almost as short as Sawada, given that she is a perfectly rounded five foot nothing.

"Ah, Tsu-chan! You should warn Mama before you go off to visit Papa!"

Hibari has just the shortest pause to register the words, and noting the guilty look upon Herbivore Sawada's face, he knows exactly why Sawada's mother believes such a thing. From the tight smile on the omnivore's face, she knows it too, even taking a moment to step away from her father and towards the brunette rushing her.

Sawada doesn't so much as catch her mother as get almost barrelled over by her, and Hibari is comforted by the fact that as absentminded as Sawada's female parent is, she genuinely loves her daughter.

"Is this the girl Tetsuya-kun told me about?"

His mother whispers slyly in his ear, and Hibari straightens a bit at the tone. His nerves are already on edge from the blatant crowding, he doesn't need his mother's plots thrown into the mix.

"I want to go home," Hibari states sternly.

Though she can tell exactly what he's doing, his mother relents, with only a teasing smile in Sawada's direction. Hibari follows her gaze, hesitating for a second in the most un-carnivorous way.

It doesn't seem right to just walk off and leave Sawada without acknowledging where they stand now.

Untangling himself from his mother's grasp, Hibari strides over to Sawada, thankful that the wife was now attached to her herbivorous husband.

"Sawada."

"Ah, Hibari-kun?" She sounds tired, but in a pleasant, satisfied way. Like everything is now right in her world, even if she's just found out that her father has been lying for her whole life.

"..Tsuna," Hibari says, testing the name out on his lips and watching as Tsuna's eyes widen in surprise.

They stay there for a moment, weighing each other up, and Hibari takes a moment to wrap a strand of brown hair around his finger.

"Start wearing the female uniform, omnivore."

That startles a laugh out of her, though it certainly wasn't what Hibari was going for. He doesn't even understand why she's laughing, he's dead serious about this.

"Okay," Tsuna agrees, smile still softening her lips as she stares up at him, "will do."

Quicker than he's seen her move before, without the flames that was, Tsuna peppered a kiss to his cheek, blushing furiously as she retreated.

"Thank you for looking after me."

Herbivore Sawada looks horrified.

He doesn't say how Tsuna managed to look after herself quite well out there, that he'd probably have taken a bit more time to get himself free without her.

But he does nod, a movement filled with as much acknowledgement as he could offer her, and the little omnivore practically glows.

Spinning on heel, Hibari heads back to his mother, who's wearing that teasing smile that never fails to embarrass him, though she doesn't say anything.

He does hear Tsuna's mother's announcement though.

"Oh, my Tsu-chan has attracted the attention of such a cute boy!"

.

 _Tsuna_

 _._

It all seems quite surreal to Tsuna, even though she's now back home. Almost like it never happened.

Yet, she still has Hibari's stolen shirt in her bag, Mexican dirt in her favourite bra.

Guilt still gnaws in her stomach over every last theft they committed, even as she reasons with herself that they'd never have made it back without doing so. And Hibari-kun...

A blush blooms across her face, and Tsuna presses her warm cheeks into her cold hands.

Before, she'd only known him as Hibari-sempai, leader of the Disciplinary Committee, and all around feared prefect. Having to escape Mexico along side him, travelling across an ocean with someone; Tsuna has a much better understanding of her fellow student.

Hibari dislikes being held captive, he dislikes having to rely on anyone else. He hates anyone who upsets the order of his precious food chains.

He seems completely incapable of sleeping in a shirt.

But, he never abandoned her. He considered the two of them a team throughout their whole ordeal. He looked after her while she was unconscious and didn't mind sharing the same space as her if it meant they were well rested.

Hibari had let her slip right in through his guard.

And now here she stands, looking down at the bento she has spent almost half the morning preparing.

If there's one thing that this past week has resulted in, it's that Tsuna's going to get out there and grab life by the horns.

If she could survive four days outside of Japan, if she could form an alliance with the Hibari, then clearly she could handle whatever Namimori Middle threw at her.

Letting out a shaky breath, Tsuna wraps the bento up in a crisp purple cloth, stacking it atop her own.

For all Sawada Nana's airheaded behaviour, she had certainly taught her daughter how to cook.

"I'm going to school, Mama!"

Tsuna cries, nervously brushing down her skirt.

It is her first time in the female uniform, and while the school technically doesn't force the girls to opt for that instead of the mens, Hibari's delinquent gang highly advised that one wears the correct clothes.

Tsuna knows that Hibari probably won't speak to her again; their situation is over, the alliance no doubt dead.

But, she won't invite his wrath upon her by ignoring a direct order. Not when she had seen that wrath so up close.

Tsuna flounces through the hallway, ignoring the snores that roar out from behind one door. Her heart still hurts to know her father has been lying for so long, and she's pretty certain those flames are to do with Iemitsu's shady job.

She'd managed to summon them up again last night, though it had only been for mere seconds.

But she had done it.

Tsuna was not useless, she had aided The Hibari Kyōya, Demon Prefect of Namimori Middle, in a mad dash across countries.

She could handle middle school just fine.

.

Of course, it only takes thirty seconds for the bullies to realise she's back.

Tsuna can feel their eyes on her almost as soon as she walks through the gate, and while most look quite stunned at her sudden change in appearance, that doesn't stop them from approaching. The burning determination inside her stomach doesn't die out, but wilt, most certainly.

She can see the sneer on bully #3's face; with one fist clenched, Tsuna tilts her head back ready and meets the bully's eyes.

He falters ever so slightly, but it's there, and it stokes her confidence.

"Omnivore."

The family term of address is as welcomed as it is unexpected.

Everyone freezes at the sound of Hibari's voice, though Tsuna summons up the will to twist around and get a good luck at her, maybe friend?

He's immaculately dressed as always, and were she not there herself, Tsuna wouldn't believe he'd been kidnapped and spent several days running from their would-be captors.

More importantly though, Hibari seems to still see her, stalking over as the whole herd of students part instinctively.

"H-Hibari-kun?"

She feels like blushing as she stumbles over his name again, even as those around her recoil in fear at the familiar term of address.

The next thing Tsuna knows, is that Hibari is depositing a box of baked goods -of the homemade kind- in her free hand.

"Lunch," he states quietly, though Tsuna is certain that everybody has heard, "on the rooftop."

Hard steel eyes stare down at her, as if daring her to say no, so all Tsuna can really do is nod.

"Tsuna," he whispers, pressing his lips to her forehead.

Then he turns his attention to the masses.

"Crowding is prohibited after eight thirty," the warning is all that comes before he's stalking off in a flare of black gakuran.

There's absolute silence in the courtyard in that moment, Tsuna stood awkwardly in the centre with what appears to be baked goods cooked by Hibari's mother -if the little note pinned to the front is any indication- and a tingling sensation on her forehead.

It's almost like a collective decision when they all take a collective step back.

.

No one dares approach her for the rest of the day.

.

Hibari walks her home.

Tsuna doesn't know why, and she doesn't mind in the slightest when he breaks off to go and deal with the 'idiotic herbivores'. She even stops to wait for him.

Because Hibari had invited her to have lunch with him, and he'd liked the bento she'd made him, and Tsuna thinks, this is what it's like to have a friend.

Only, friends don't kiss each other's cheeks like she did to Hibari, and Hibari kissed her forehead and he even rested his head in her lap so he could catch a small nap before classes picked up for the afternoon.

Tsuna hesitates to think it, but maybe this is more than a friendship. As she considers Hibari, with all his violent aloofness, his protective tendancies, she thinks that maybe she'd quite like it.

Something more with this boy who, until five days ago, scared her witless.

"Omnivore."

They've stopped outside of her house now, and Tsuna looks up at Hibari, at his pale pretty face -how had she never noticed how pretty that face was?- and intense grey eyes.

Hibari smirks then, leaning forwards and Tsuna's heartbeat must increase tenfold.

His lips are dry against her own, and it's a soft, gentle touch she'd never expected from Hibari.

When he runs his tongue against her lip and nips with his teeth, Tsuna feels like her expectations have been met.

The older boy draws away, licking his lips and Tsuna flushes at the action, even more so when he voices a low "Wao."

"Are we having lunch again tomorrow, Hibari-kun?"

The boy nods, twisting to look down the street and Tsuna knows he wants to get back to patrolling.

Greater powers than she would be unable to stop him, so instead, she just nods her head and asks him to be safe. The look she gets tells her she shouldn't be worried in the slightest, and really, Tsuna's not.

Hibari's the most capable person she knows after all.

A breathy exhale escapes her lips when he's gone, and Tsuna presses her fingertips to her mouth, smiling.

Her first kiss.

.

She spends exactly three seconds in a daze, before a high voice catches her attention.

"Ciaossu! Is this the Sawada residence?"

* * *

 **The rumours that run around school that day are numerous, though the general assumption is that Hibari figured out Sawada was really a girl, and impressed by her deception, took her on as his apprentice, to rule the Disciplinary Committee when he graduates to High School.**

 **Some POV changes in this chapter, but I felt it rounded everything up nicely, especially the last part with Tsuna at the end.**

 **Well, this is it, all done. Thoughts? Opinions?  
I think I'm gonna give a Mukuro/FemTsuna a go too; I've got an idea, so we'll see how that goes. **

**Tsume  
xxx**


End file.
